Wrist watch jacket

ABSTRACT

A POUCH-TYPE SHEET RUBBER JACKET WHICH MAKES IT PRACTICAL AND SAFE FOR WORKMEN TO PROTECTIVELY MOUNT A WRIST WATCH WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE JACKET AND CARRY THE JACKETED WATCH IN THE USER&#39;&#39;S CLOTHES POCKET. BY MAKING THE JACKET OF ACID RESISTING RESILIENT SHEET RUBBER, THE ENCASES WATCH WILL NOT TARNISH. THIS INNOVATION CONVERTS A WRIST WATCH TO A &#34;POCKET&#34; WATCH AND IS STIRRUP-LIKE IN CONSTRUCTTION AND CHARACTERIZED BY IMPERFORATE FRONT AND BACK FLAPS FOLDABLY JOINED AND NORMALLY SNAPPED TOGETHER. AN EDGE OF THE FRONT FLAP CAN BE PEELED BACK TO EXPOSE THE DIAL.

Jan. 5, 1971 H. T. PARRIS WRIST WATCH JACKET Filed Dec. 5, 1968 Horace 7. Parr/s INVIZNTOR'.

United States Patent 3,552,117 WRIST WATCH JACKET Horace T. Parris, 704 N. 74th St., East St. Louis, Ill. 62203 Filed Dec. 5, 1968, Ser. No. 781,524

Int. Cl. G04b 43/00 US. Cl. 58-105 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pouch-type sheet rubber jacket which makes it practical and safe for workmen to protectively mount a wrist watch within the confines of the jacket and carry the jacketed watch in the users clothes pocket. By making the jacket of acid resisting resilient sheet rubber, the encased watch will not tarnish. This innovation converts a wrist watch to a pocket watch and is stirrup-like in construction and characterized by imperforate front and back flaps foldably joined and normally snapped together. An edge of the front flap can be peeled back to expose the dial.

This invention relates to a pocket-size protecting, carrying and handling jacket for a wrist watch, more particularly, a jacket which is fashioned from a cut-out blank or sheet of suitably bendable rubber and embodies a front cover flap which is separably fastened to a rear backing flap, the latter flap being inter'iorly provided with a relatively small stirrup-like loop for attaching and suspending the watch between the flaps.

An object of the invention is to enable a painter, plumber, ironworker, welder or any building trade workman to remove his wrist watch band or bracelet, insert the watch in the pouch portion of the herein disclosed acid-resisting jacket, after which it can be reliably and conveniently carried for ready use in a selected pocket of his overalls, coveralls or pants pocket, as the case may be.

It is a matter of common knowledge that stainless steel and analogous waterproof watches if subjected to certain acids, even for a month or so, are vulnerable to the effects of tarnish, soon get out of order, will not run properly, and eventually stop running altogether. With the exception of woodworkers, carpenters and cabinet makers for example, virtually all construction workers use acid of one kind or another. For instance, painters use salsoda, ammonia, muratic acid, acetone and the like. Melting metals such as lead, zinc and steel throw off deleterious acid-laden fumes which when combined with perspiration can be and are damaging to component watch parts. EX- perimental use of the herein disclosed protective jacket while working regularly in the painting trade has shown that it well serves the purposes for which it has been devised. Collateral advantages have been, minimal spotting with paint, elimination of grease smudges, and dial scratching. Then, too, the inherent cushioning properties serve to protect the encased watch if and when dropped on a hard floor or an equivalent surface.

Briefly the invention, construed from the standpoint of a noval combination, is characterized by a conventional wrist watch, that is, a watch by itself after the bracelet or wrist-encircling band has been wholly detached. A protecting and carrying jacket is fashioned into and provides a pouch. The jacket is made of an elongated sheet or blank of an appropriate grade of rubber. The resilient properties of the rubber are such that when the jacket is not being used and is placed flatwise on a surface it is substantially ovate in plan. On the other hand, when the half portions are opposed in overlapping relation by doubling the median portion of the sheet upon itself, these then existing end portions provide semi-ovate half-por- 3,552,117 Patented Jan. 5, 1971 tions. These half-portions in turn provide imperforate front and back flaps. These flaps have separably connectible free end portions which are provided on opposed interior surfaces with pressure responsive male and female snap fasteners. One of these snap fasteners is used as a hold-down and anchor for a relatively narrow or an equivalent strap. The latter strap is bent upon itself between its ends and provides a stirrup-like loop the bight portion of which serves to seat one of the pins on lugs on one marginal side of the watch casing. The watch is thus suspended but is removable if and when necessary.

By sandwiching the watch between the front and back flaps and snapping the free ends of the flaps together the desired prtoective jacket is provided.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a wrist watch jacket constructed in accordance with the invention and showing the manner in which it is designed and adapted for use.

FIG. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale with the watch appearing primarily in elevation and which is taken on the vertical line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the flaps or half-sections of the jacket spread out flat, illustrating the watch in its ready-to-use position and with the dial situated in a preferred easily readable manner.

And FIG. 4 is a view on a smaller scale and showing the manner in which an edge portion of the front flap is bent or peeled back to uncover the dial of the watch.

With reference now to the illustrative views of the drawing, the elongated normally flat cut-out rubber blank or sheet is denoted, generally stated, by the numeral 6. This sheet when spread flatwise, as shown in FIG. 3, is some six inches more or less in length but will of course be proportionately enlarged for large size watches. The sheet is preferably of one piece construction and of uniform thickness from end to end and has a substantially rectangular central body portion and tapering end portions. The central body portion may be some two and one-half inches wide at its widest part. The numeral 8 in FIG. 3 designates a bendable fold line which divides the sheet or blank into a first half-portion and a second half-portion. The first half-portion is more specifically designated as a backing or rear flap 10. The substantially duplicate second half-portion is designated as a front flap 12. These two flaps are the same in dimension and shape and are imperforate and are adapted to be brought together in aligned overlapping relationship when the jacket is readied for use as shown in FIGS, 1, 2 and 4. For convenience, the relatively narrow tip or end portion of the rear flap 10 is denoted by the numeral 14 and the corresponding narrow rounded end portion of the flap 12 is denoted at 16. This end portion is provided with a permanently attached male snap fastener 18 which is located on the interior surface 20. This snap fastener is also provided exteriorly with an appropriate pressure button 22 which is best brought out in FIG. 2. The complemental or companion female snap fastener is denoted at 24 and is carried by the hollow stem 26 of a positioning and retaining head 28. These snap fasteners are related and can be snapped together in the manner shown in detail in FIG. 2. They can be pressed together and pulled apart and separated by prying the fastener parts away from each other in any convenient manner. The means for removably mounting the wrist watch 30 is preferably carried by the female snap fastener and is denoted, generally construed, by the numeral 32. It comprises a relatively narrow leather or an equivalent tough strap whose duplicate end portions 34 are overlapped and interposed between the surface of the flap 10 and snap fastener 24. It is believed that the coaction of these parts is aptly and satisfactorily illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. The bight portion 35 provides a stirruplike loop for attachment and retention of the watch. As is usually common in this field of endeavor the case 36 of the watch is provided on opposite marginal sides with pairs of lugs, with the lugs on one side denoted at 38 and the lugs on the other side at 40. These lugs are provided with the usual bracelet attaching pins one of which is denoted at 42 and the other one at 44. It can be assumed that the pin 44 was removed to permit the looped portion of the strap 32 to be placed therebetween as best shown in FIG. 3 after which the pin is placed in position again to thus anchor or attach the watch to the strap means 32.

The enclosed stirrup-like hanger strap 32 and the suspended watch 30 fit with requisite nicety within the centralized area of the interior side of the rear or backing flap 10 as is believed to be evident particularly from FIG. 3.

It is reiterated that when the sheet or blank 6 is open and spread out as shown in FIG. 3 it is substantially flat. After the watch has been installed and the front flap folded on the line 8 and the snap fasteners are joined the then complete jacket is available for convenient garment pocket use. The jacket and watch can be removed from the pocket and one lengthwise marginal edge portion can be peeled back or spread open, as shown in FIG. 4, to obtain access to the dial.

It is submitted that a careful consideration of the views of the drawing will enable the reader to obtain a clear and comprehensive understanding of the construction, use, and features and advantages of the jacket. Accordingly, a more extended description is thought to be unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A wrist watch protecting and carrying jacket expressly designed and adapted for pocket use by building trades workmen using acids of one kind or another, said jacket being made of flexible pliant acid-resisting sheet material which is adapted to wholly and protectively encase a wrist watch, and means carried by and sheathed within the confines of said jacket for accessibly but retentively mounting the watch in said jacket, said sheet of material comprising an elongated ply of rubber of a size in plan that it can be doubled upon itself midway between its respective ends to provide overlapped complemental half-portions, said half-portions providing front and back flaps, said flaps cooperatively defining a pouch and having free separably connectible end portions, quick-separable fastening means carried by the respective interior confronting surface of coacting free ends of said flaps, the means for mounting the watch comprising relatively short narrow strap bent upon itself and fashioned into a stirrup-like suspending and retaining loop, said quick-separable fastening means comprising male and female separably connectible snap-fasteners, said watch mounting strap having overlapping ends which are oriented and secured together and held in operative relationship by one of said snap-fasteners.

2. In combination, a wrist watch, a pouch-like watch encasing, protecting and carrying jacket for said watch, said jacket being made of a single sheet of acid resisting resilient rubber, said sheet being elongate in plan when said jacket is spread out flatwise and is wholly open but being normally doubled upon itself midway between its respective ends and providing companion half-portions, said half-portions providing opposed face-to-face front and back flaps, said flaps having free separably connectible end portions which are provided on opposed overlapping interior surfaces with pressure responsive male and female snap fasteners, and means sandwiching and accessibly mounting said watch wholly between and normally concealed by said flaps, a selected marginal edge portion of one of said flaps being capable of being flexed outwardly in a manner to expose the dial of said watch.

3. The jacket defined in and according to claim 2, and wherein said mounting means comprises a relatively short narrow flexible hanger strap which is bent upon itself between its ends to provide a stirrup-like watch suspending loop, the overlapping end portions of said strap being pierced by and secured to the back flap by a coacting one of said snap fasteners, said watch embodying a casing having radial wristband attaching lugs, at least one pair of said lugs having a removable cross pin detachably connected with and suspended by the bent portion of said loop.

4. The jacket defined in and according to claim 3, and wherein the combined length of said loop and suspended watch is slightly less than the length of said back flap and said back flap is of a width appreciably greater than the width of said strap and the suspended watch.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,511,105 6/1950 Fenyvessy 58-105X FOREIGN PATENTS 514,019 10/1939 Great Britain 2244.2

906,970 2/1946 France 58-105 RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner G. H. MILLER, JR., Assistant Examiner U.S. c1. X.R. 224-4 

